Counties with the oldest homes in Texas
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
Counties with the oldest homes in Texas
There’s an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 12.8% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties in Texas with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2020 5-year estimates. Ties broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.
The country’s domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, “the ache for home lives in all of us,” a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.
Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called “Robber Barons” at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.
The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.
Keep reading to learn more about which counties in Texas have the oldest homes.
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Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#50. Borden County
– Median year homes built: 1968
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 1.3% (5 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 11.6% (43 homes)
– Total homes built: 371
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#49. Terry County
– Median year homes built: 1968
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 2.1% (101 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 4.5% (218 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,864
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#48. McCulloch County
– Median year homes built: 1968
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.1% (740 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 12.1% (526 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,335
en:User:Billy Hathorn // Wikimedia Commons
#47. Childress County
– Median year homes built: 1968
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 25.2% (722 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 11.2% (320 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,860
Billy Hathorn // Wikimedia Commons
#46. Scurry County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.2% (375 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 7.4% (533 homes)
– Total homes built: 7,205
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Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#45. Lynn County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.1% (295 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 10.5% (280 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,661
Leaflet // Wikimedia Commons
#44. Jones County
– Median year homes built: 1967
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.6% (962 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 12.9% (908 homes)
– Total homes built: 7,054
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#43. Hansford County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.4% (127 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.6% (155 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,342
Billy Hathorn // Wikimedia Commons
#42. Deaf Smith County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.6% (539 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 8.2% (584 homes)
– Total homes built: 7,079
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#41. Oldham County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.7% (69 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 12.5% (99 homes)
– Total homes built: 794
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Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#40. Stonewall County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.5% (105 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 3.8% (32 homes)
– Total homes built: 837
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#39. Throckmorton County
– Median year homes built: 1966
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.1% (202 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 9.7% (103 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,059
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#38. Cochran County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 1.1% (15 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 7.3% (99 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,351
Talshiarr // Wikimedia Commons
#37. Reeves County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.6% (213 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 13.4% (622 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,652
Billy Hathorn // Wikimedia Commons
#36. Howard County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.9% (779 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 9.3% (1,223 homes)
– Total homes built: 13,200
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#35. Dawson County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.6% (343 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 4.9% (254 homes)
– Total homes built: 5,171
Billy Hathorn // Wikimedia Commons
#34. Castro County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.7% (246 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 5.8% (185 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,179
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#33. Hale County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.8% (1,045 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 4.7% (630 homes)
– Total homes built: 13,382
Renelibrary // Wikimedia Commons
#32. Coleman County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 18.1% (1,006 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 8.6% (478 homes)
– Total homes built: 5,547
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#31. Cottle County
– Median year homes built: 1965
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 21.9% (241 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.5% (72 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,100
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Carol M. Highsmith // Wikimedia Commons
#30. Winkler County
– Median year homes built: 1964
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 0.9% (28 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 5.0% (152 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,066
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#29. Crosby County
– Median year homes built: 1964
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.9% (201 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 3.5% (102 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,909
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#28. Nolan County
– Median year homes built: 1964
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.6% (676 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 5.1% (360 homes)
– Total homes built: 7,075
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#27. Baylor County
– Median year homes built: 1964
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.1% (340 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 7.8% (203 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,601
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#26. Lamb County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.5% (579 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.8% (415 homes)
– Total homes built: 6,069
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Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#25. Sherman County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 16.2% (226 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 5.0% (70 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,397
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#24. Haskell County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 16.6% (576 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.8% (235 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,465
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#23. Wheeler County
– Median year homes built: 1963
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 21.2% (576 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 15.4% (417 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,715
Renelibrary // Wikimedia Commons
#22. Swisher County
– Median year homes built: 1962
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.5% (333 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 4.1% (129 homes)
– Total homes built: 3,181
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#21. Wilbarger County
– Median year homes built: 1962
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.1% (1,191 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 7.1% (441 homes)
– Total homes built: 6,242
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Billy Hathorn // Wikimedia Commons
#20. Armstrong County
– Median year homes built: 1962
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 23.7% (216 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 8.1% (74 homes)
– Total homes built: 913
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#19. Foard County
– Median year homes built: 1962
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 31.6% (262 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 5.4% (45 homes)
– Total homes built: 829
Charles Henry // Flickr
#18. Potter County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.2% (4,594 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 10.5% (5,253 homes)
– Total homes built: 50,174
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#17. Fisher County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.6% (215 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 7.4% (165 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,236
Nicolas Henderson // Wikimedia Commons
#16. Knox County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.7% (359 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.7% (136 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,030
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#15. Carson County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 26.2% (730 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 9.9% (275 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,787
Austin Lamar Allison // Wikimedia Commons
#14. Roberts County
– Median year homes built: 1961
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 30.6% (136 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 16.0% (71 homes)
– Total homes built: 445
Jeffrey Beall // Wikimedia Commons
#13. Gray County
– Median year homes built: 1960
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.3% (1,029 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 7.3% (734 homes)
– Total homes built: 9,995
Josh Berglund from Richardson, United States // Wikimedia Commons
#12. Hardeman County
– Median year homes built: 1960
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 28.9% (697 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.3% (152 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,411
Larry D. Moore // Wikimedia Commons
#11. Floyd County
– Median year homes built: 1959
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.8% (381 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 3.4% (102 homes)
– Total homes built: 2,966
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#10. Briscoe County
– Median year homes built: 1959
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.9% (138 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.1% (61 homes)
– Total homes built: 996
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#9. Collingsworth County
– Median year homes built: 1959
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 25.7% (377 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 10.6% (156 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,467
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#8. Runnels County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 19.7% (1,034 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 6.9% (360 homes)
– Total homes built: 5,245
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#7. Mitchell County
– Median year homes built: 1958
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 21.1% (862 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 5.5% (224 homes)
– Total homes built: 4,077
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#6. Dickens County
– Median year homes built: 1956
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.4% (237 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 7.3% (99 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,363
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Liveon001 // Wikimedia Commons
#5. Hall County
– Median year homes built: 1956
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 36.5% (699 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 4.2% (80 homes)
– Total homes built: 1,916
25or6to4 // Wikimedia Commons
#4. Kenedy County
– Median year homes built: 1954
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.4% (34 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 16.7% (37 homes)
– Total homes built: 221
Matthew Rutledge // Wikimedia Commons
#3. Loving County
– Median year homes built: 1954
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 43.7% (38 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 87
Aualliso // Wikimedia Commons
#2. Terrell County
– Median year homes built: 1949
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 36.2% (270 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
– Total homes built: 746
Renelibrary // Wikimedia Commons
#1. Motley County
– Median year homes built: 1948
– Homes built 1939 or earlier: 41.5% (324 homes)
– Homes built since 2000: 5.4% (42 homes)
– Total homes built: 781
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